The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons'(AAOS) strives to serve the orthopaedic profession, champion the interests of patients, and advance the highest quality musculoskeletal health. For the past 18 years, the AAOS and the National Institutes of Health have collaborated in the development and implementation of annual musculoskeletal research symposia. These symposia allow leaders in the industry to discuss and define the state-of -the-art as it pertains to a topical area of orthopaedics/musculoskeletal health and to define future research directions. New developments in musculoskeletal research will benefit the 1 in 7 Americans who suffer from a musculoskeletal ailment. The Specific Aims of these symposia are to: 1) Define the current status of clinical and pre-clinical research and practice in important areas of musculoskeletal medicine;2) Identify areas of need for new or additional research;3) Define needs and opportunities for translating laboratory research into clinical practice;4) Stimulate the research agenda and provide education to the musculoskeletal community, including practicing physicians, in the form of timely publication on the AAOS Research Committee symposia website internet, as well as in print, through an existing relationship with the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS);and 5) Promote interaction between stakeholders in the area of musculoskeletal medicine, industry and government. Funding is requested to provide partial support for the next five AAOS/NIH symposia. The following topics will be covered: Developmental Biology and Orthopaedics (2006), Fracture Repair: Critical Issues in Furthering our Understanding (2007), Musculoskeletal Imaging and Computer Assisted Surgery (2008), Orthopaedic Randomized Clinical Trials: Opportunities and Challenges (2009), and Musculoskeletal Health Care Disparities (2010). Two or more senior investigators from the relevant disciplines have been selected to co-chair each symposium. Symposium chairs ensure the inclusion of minorities, women, and persons with disabilities both as faculty and as invited guests. The co-chairs decide where to hold the symposium, who to invite, and develop the strategic questions the sessions will address. They are also responsible for budgets, as well as for overseeing the publication of proceedings and conclusions of the symposium in a timely manner. For the subsequent proposed symposia, chairs have been identified and the goals and context of each topic have been summarized.